Stock-jobbing support device and stock-jobbing support system

ABSTRACT

A stock trading support apparatus  2  to support stock trading includes: a stock price analysis information creating section (for example, a CPU  21  and the like) to create stock price analysis information by analyzing a stock price of each brand based on stock price information; a promising brand information creating section (for example, the CPU  21  and the like) to create promising brand information by judging whether the each brand is in a good time to buy or sell based on the stock price analysis information created by the stock price analysis information creating section; and an output section (for example, a display unit  23 , a printing unit  25  and the like) to output stock information containing the stock price analysis information and the promising brand information.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a stock trading support apparatus and astock trading support system, which support stock trading.

BACKGROUND ART

On the Internet, there have been provided various information for stocktrading, for example, information on a stock price of each brand, astock chart, and the like.

Meanwhile, by experts such as securities analysts, there have beenproposed various stock trading analysis methods for judging a timing forbuying or selling stocks based on a trend of a stock price.

Some individual investors buy and sell stocks based on the result ofanalysis obtained from their own favorite stock trading analysis methodamong these stock trading analysis methods.

However, in stock trading based on the stock trading analysis methods asdescribed above, it is difficult for the individual investors to judgewhether the stock is in a good time to buy or sell. Even when they canjudge the timing for buying or selling stocks, it has been cumbersomeand troublesome to pick up a promising brand out from the whole listedbrands.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentionedcircumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a stock tradingsupport apparatus and a stock trading support system, which supportstock trading by providing an investor with information on promisingbrands more easily and quickly.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In order to attain the above object, a first aspect of the presentinvention is, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 16, a stock tradingsupport apparatus 2 to support stock trading, comprising: a stock priceanalysis information creating section (for example, a CPU 21 and thelike) to create stock price analysis information by analyzing a stockprice of each brand based on stock price information; a promising brandinformation creating section (for example, the CPU 21 and the like) tocreate promising brand information by judging whether the each brand isin a good time to buy or sell based on the stock price analysisinformation created by the stock price analysis information creatingsection; and an output section (for example, a display unit 23, aprinting unit 25 and the like) to output stock information containingthe stock price analysis information and the promising brandinformation.

Here, the stock price analysis information is, for example, technicalchart analysis data based on movement in stock prices, a trend line andthe like; the stock price analysis information may be any analysisinformation as long as the information is concerned with stock trading.The promising brand information is information on brands in a good timeto buy or sell, and a method of judging whether a brand is in a goodtime to buy or sell is not limited. The stock information contains thestock price analysis information and the promising brand information,and may contain information concerning stock trading, such as stockprice numeric data and company information.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, stock priceanalysis information is created by the stock price analysis informationcreating section by analyzing a stock price of each brand based on stockprice information, promising brand information is created by thepromising brand information creating section by judging whether the eachbrand is in a good time to buy or sell based on the stock price analysisinformation, and stock information containing the stock price analysisinformation and the promising brand information is outputted by theoutput section. Thus, it is possible to supply the stock price analysisinformation and the promising brand information based on the stock priceinformation to the users easily and quickly, to support the users in thestock trading.

Preferably, the first aspect of the present invention is connectable toa user terminal 3 through a communication network (for example, anetwork 5 and the like), and further comprises a stock informationtransmitting section (for example, the CPU 21, a communication controlunit 27 and the like) to transmit the stock information to the userterminal device.

This is because it is possible to support the users in stock trading andthus to expect contribution to stimulation of stock trading, since thestock information is transmitted by the stock information transmittingsection to the user terminal connected through the communication networkand useful information such as the stock price analysis information andthe promising brand information for stock trading can be supplied easilyand quickly.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the apparatusfurther comprises a receiving section (for example, the CPU 21, thecommunication control unit 27 and the like) to receive from the userterminal a search criterion for searching for promising brandinformation; a promising brand information search section (for example,the CPU 21 and the like)to search for promising brand informationrelevant to the search criterion received by the receiving section; anda transmitting section (for example, the CPU 21, the communicationcontrol unit 27 and the like) to transmit to the user terminal thepromising brand information retrieved by the promising brand informationsearch section.

This is because promising brand information desired by the user can beacquired easily and quickly, since the search criterion for searchingfor promising brand information is received from the user terminal bythe receiving section, promising brand information relevant to thesearch criterion designated by the user is searched for by the promisingbrand information search section, and the retrieved promising brandinformation is transmitted to the user terminal by the transmittingsection.

Moreover, in the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferablethat the search criterion includes at least one of a stock type, abuy-timing or a sell-timing of a brand, a price bracket, a peak pricezone or a bottom price zone of a stock price, a high price zone or a lowprice zone of a stock price, a scale, and the like.

Here, the stock type is an item for classifying stocks. For example, thestock type is names of exchange markets, brand types which arearbitrarily set, and the like; however, the stock type is not limitedthereto. As for the stock price in the peak price zone or the bottomprice zone, the peak price zone is a stock price range corresponding toa highest price zone of a certain brand in the stock prices of the past,and the bottom price zone is a stock price range corresponding to alowest price zone thereof; however, the ranges are arbitrary. The highprice zone denotes a case where the stock price is higher than theaverage value of the past stock prices by an arbitrary rate, and the lowprice zone is defined as the other way round. The ranges thereof arearbitrary. The scale is kinds of stocks such as a large capitalizationstock, a medium capitalization stock and a small capitalization stock,in which the stock are classified into the large capitalization stock,medium capitalization stock, small capitalization stock and the like,based on the number of issued stock and stock trading units of a listedcompany.

Since the search criterion includes at least one of the stock type, thebuy-timing or the sell-timing of a brand, the price bracket, the peakprice zone or the bottom price zone of a stock price, the high pricezone or the low price zone of a stock price, the scale, and the like, itis possible to supply promising brand information desired by the userwhile the targets are limited.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the first aspect of the presentinvention further comprises a registration section (for example, the CPU21 and the like) to register a search criterion for searching forpromising brand information, which is transmitted from the userterminal; a search section (for example, the CPU 21 and the like) toperiodically search whether there is promising brand informationrelevant to the search criterion registered by the registration section;and a notifying section (for example, the CPU 21, the communicationcontrol unit 27 and the like) to notify, when promising brandinformation relevant to the search criterion is retrieved by the searchsection, the retrieved promising brand information to the user terminal.

Here, the search criterion is an information item for searching forrelevant brand(s) by arbitrarily selecting from, for example, the stocktype, the buy-timing or the sell-timing of a brand, the price bracket,the peak price zone or the bottom price zone of a stock price, the highprice zone or the low price zone of a stock price, and the scale. Apartfrom these, there may be included an information item for searching forspecific brand(s), which is, for example, the name of a brand, the nameof a company, a code and the like.

Thus, the search criterion for searching for promising brandinformation, which is transmitted from the user terminal, is registeredby the registration section, whether there is promising brandinformation relevant to the registered search criterion is periodicallysearched by the search section, and the promising brand informationrelevant to the search criterion is notified to the user terminal by thenotifying section. Accordingly, it is possible for the users to acquirepromising brand information relevant to the registered search criteriamore quickly, without searching for promising brand information eachtime. Thus, the possibility of stock trading at an optimal timing can beincreased further.

In the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that thestock price analysis information includes a key-shaped tendency chart.

This is because, since the key-shaped tendency chart is included in thestock price analysis information, it is possible to omit the necessityfor the users to create the key-shaped tendency charts, and to refer tothe key-shaped tendency chart for selection of brand(s) in stock tradingand judgment of buy-timing and sell-timing.

In the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that thestock price analysis information includes a candlestick-shaped tendencychart, and the apparatus further comprises: a line-drawing section todraw a downward trend line based on the candlestick-shaped tendencychart of a brand judged to be in a good time to buy, among brands in thepromising brand information created by the promising brand informationcreating section; a judging section to judge whether the brand is in abuy-turn, based on the downward trend line drawn by the line-drawingsection and on candlestick-shaped tendency chart data at the good timeto buy the brand judged to be in the good time to buy; and a buy-turninformation notifying section to notify the user terminal of a judgmentresult given by the judging section, as buy-turn information.

This is because the users who are not accustomed to stock trading caneasily recognize the timing of a buy-turn, since it is automaticallyjudged whether the brand judged to be in a good time to buy is in abuy-turn or not, and the buy-turn information is notified to the userterminal by the buy-turn information notifying section.

Moreover, in the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferablethat the stock price analysis information includes a candlestick-shapedtendency chart, the apparatus further comprises: a line-drawing sectionto draw a downward trend line based on the candlestick-shaped tendencychart of a brand judged to be in a good time to sell, among brands inthe promising brand information created by the promising brandinformation creating section; a judging section to judge whether thebrand is in a sell-turn, based on the downward trend line drawn by theline-drawing section and on candlestick-shaped tendency chart data atthe good time to sell the brand judged to be in the good time to sell;and a sell-turn information notifying section to notify the userterminal of a judgment result given by the judging section, as sell-turninformation.

This is because the users who are not accustomed to stock trading caneasily recognize the timing of a sell-turn, since it is automaticallyjudged whether the brand judged to be in a good time to sell is in asell-turn or not, and the sell-turn information is notified to the userterminal by the sell-turn information notifying section.

A second aspect of the present invention is a stock trading supportsystem where a stock trading support apparatus to support stock tradingis connected to a user terminal through a communication network, whereinthe stock trading support apparatus comprises: a stock price analysisinformation creating section to create stock price analysis informationby analyzing a stock price of each brand based on stock priceinformation; a promising brand information creating section to createpromising brand information by judging whether the each brand is in agood time to buy or sell based on the stock price analysis informationcreated by the stock price analysis information creating section; areceiving section to receive from the user terminal a search criterionfor searching for promising brand information; a promising brandinformation search section to search for promising brand informationrelevant to the search criterion received by the receiving section; anda transmitting section to transmit to the user terminal the promisingbrand information retrieved by the promising brand information searchsection, and the user terminal comprises: an input section to input thesearch criterion; a communication section to transmit, to the stocktrading support apparatus, the search criterion inputted through theinput section, and receive the promising brand information transmittedby the transmitting section; and an output section to output thepromising brand information received by the communication section.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possibleto supply the stock price analysis information and the promising brandinformation based on the stock price information, to the users easilyand quickly through the communication network. Thus, it is possible tosupport the users in stock trading.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting the entire system configuration of astock trading support device 1 according to the present invention;

FIG. 2(a) is a block diagram showing an inner structure of a stockinformation support apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2(b) is a block diagram showing an inner structure of a userterminal 3 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing data structures in a storage unit 26 of thestock information support apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining an operation of registrationprocessing of the stock trading support system 1 according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining an operation of search processingof the stock trading support system 1 according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining an operation of brand informationdistribution processing of the stock trading support system 1 accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining an operation of buy-turn/sell-turninformation distribution processing of the stock trading support system1 according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of display of a search screen (G1)in the stock trading support system 1 according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of display in which selection itemsof a search screen (G2) are displayed;

FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of display of a search resultscreen (G3);

FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of display of a chart displayscreen (G4), which is an example of display of a key-shaped tendencychart;

FIG. 12 is a view showing an example of display of a chart displayscreen (G5), which is an example of display of a daily tendency chart ofa candlestick-shaped tendency chart;

FIG. 13 is a view showing an example of display of a chart displayscreen (G6), which is an example of display of a weekly tendency chartof a candlestick-shaped tendency chart;

FIG. 14 is a view showing an example of display of a chart displayscreen (G7), which is an example of display of a monthly tendency chartof a candlestick-shaped tendency chart;

FIG. 15 is a view showing an example of display of a chart displayscreen (G8), which is an example of display of a monthly tendency chartof a candlestick-shaped tendency chart; and

FIG. 16 is a view showing an example of display of a chart displayscreen (G9), which is an example of display of a monthly tendency chartof a candlestick-shaped tendency chart.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinbelow, a best mode for carrying out the invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings.

First, the configuration will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a stock trading support system 1 according to thepresent invention includes: a stock trading support apparatus 2 whichcreates stock information containing information on brand(s) good to buyor sell based on stock price information, and provides the stockinformation to a user, thus supporting the user in stock trading; a userterminal 3 through which the user accesses the stock trading supportapparatus 2 to acquire brand information; stock exchange servers 4 ofsuch as securities exchanges, from which data on stock prices isdistributed to the stock trading support apparatus 2; and the like.These are connected through networks 5 such as the Internet, anintranet, and a dedicated line.

The stock trading support apparatus 2 performs processing of judgingbrands good for dealing and timings good for dealing based on stockprice data, creates information about promising brands which are in agood time to buy or sell, and retrieves required brand information toprovide it to registered users. The stock trading support apparatus 2may be a single apparatus or include a plurality of devices. As shown inFIG. 2(a), inside the stock trading support apparatus 2, there areincluded a CPU 21, a RAM 22, a display unit 23, an input unit 24, aprinting unit 25, a storage unit 26, and a communication control unit27, and these units are connected through a bus 28.

The CPU 21 reads programs, data base information and the like which arestored in the storage unit 26, temporarily stores the data in the RAM22, and performs control of each unit, data transfer, judgmentprocessing, and the like.

For example, as a stock price analysis information creating section, theCPU 21 performs processing of updating the stock information which is tobe provided to a user, based on, for example, stock price data on thelisted brands transmitted from the stock-exchange servers 4, such as theTokyo Stock Exchange, the Osaka Securities Exchange, the NASDAQ Japan,and securities exchanges of foreign countries. More specifically, theCPU 21 updates stock price information, as well as creates four kinds oftechnical charts, that is, a key-shaped tendency chart andcandlestick-shaped tendency charts including a daily tendency chart, aweekly tendency chart and a monthly tendency chart, as needed.

Moreover, as a promising brand information creating section, the CPU 21performs brand evaluation judgment processing based on stock price dataand key-shaped tendency chart data of the past, which are accumulated inthe storage unit 26, as well as up-to-date stock price data andkey-shaped tendency chart data, and the like. Here, in the evaluationjudgment processing that the CPU 21 performs, judgment is made on eachbrand about whether the brand is a promising brand which is in a goodtime to buy or sell, in accordance with an evaluation judgment referencetable 261 d to be described later. The CPU 21 provides a buy signal orsell signal to brands which are judged to be in a good time to buy orsell, respectively, to show that these brands are promising brands.

Moreover, as the evaluation judgment processing on each brand, the CPU21 also performs classification processing of classifying brands basedon a price bracket, a scale and the like, and judgment processing ofjudging whether the up-to-date stock price data of a brand is in a peakprice zone or in a bottom price zone, or in a high price zone or a lowprice zone.

Here, the stock price level which corresponds to a highest price in afluctuation in the stock price of the past is called a “peak”, and thevicinity of the level, for example, in a range of 10% from the level, iscalled the peak price zone. On the other hand, the stock price levelwhich corresponds to a lowest price of the past is called a “bottom”,and the vicinity of the level, for example, in a range of 10% from thelevel, is called the bottom price zone. The high price zone is a levelwhere the stock price is higher than the average of the past stock pricebut is not as high as a stock price in the peak price zone; the lowprice zone is the opposite of the high price zone.

The ranges of the above-mentioned peak price zone, bottom price zone,high price zone and low price zone can be arbitrarily set.

Further, the CPU 21 controls stock information search processing inaccordance with an RDBMS (Relational Database Management System). Inother words, the CPU 21 performs processing of searching the variousdatabases stored in the storage unit 26 using SQL and the like, based oncriteria transmitted from a user terminal 3 or criteria inputted fromthe input unit 24, and processing of acquiring relevant data. Moreconcretely, as a receiving section, the CPU 21 receives search criteriadata transmitted from the user terminal 3, for example, a stock type,buy-timing/sell-timing of a brand, a price bracket, a peak price/bottomprice zone, a high price/low price zone, and a scale of a brand, orsearch criteria data such as a brand name, a code, and the like.Further, the CPU 21 searches for relevant brand(s) as a promising brandinformation search section and a search section, based on the searchcriteria data. The CPU 21 then transmits the retrieved brand informationto the user terminal 3, as a stock information transmitting section anda transmitting section, to provide information thereto.

Moreover, as a registration section, the CPU 21 registers, for example,search criteria for searching for promising brand(s) required by a user,and, when it is judged that there are brand(s) which satisfy thecriteria pre-registered by the user, the CPU 21 notifies, as a notifyingsection, the user of the brand information satisfying the registeredcriteria by transmitting the information to the user terminal 3.Furthermore, the CPU 21 controls processing of distributing,periodically or as needed, stock price information on target brand(s)pre-registered by a user.

Moreover, as a line-drawing section, the CPU 21 performs control ofdrawing a downward trend line based on the candlestick-shaped tendencychart of a brand which is designated by a user and to which a buy signal(buy-timing) is provided, among promising brands. Further, the CPU 21performs control of drawing a downward trend line based on thecandlestick-shaped tendency chart of a brand which is designated by auser and to which a sell signal (sell-timing) is provided, amongpromising brands.

Moreover, as a judging section, the CPU 21 performs control of judgingwhether the brand designated by the user is in a buy-turn, based on thedownward trend line and the candlestick-shaped tendency chart data atthe good time to buy the brand, and judging whether the brand designatedby the user is in a sell-turn, based on the downward trend line and thecandlestick-shaped tendency chart data at the good time to sell thebrand.

Furthermore, as a buy-turn information notifying section, the CPU 21performs control of notifying the user terminal of the judgment aboutwhether the brand is in a buy-turn, that is, buy-turn information, and,as a sell-turn information notifying section, performs control ofnotifying the user terminal of the judgment about whether the brand isin a sell-turn, that is, buy-turn information.

In the various processing performed by the CPU 21, there are formed inthe RAM 22 a storage region where a program, data and the like aretemporarily stored, a work area used for processing in accordance withan inputted command and inputted data, and the like.

The display unit 23 is constituted by a CRT, an LCD or the like, and, asan output section, displays various display data and images which areinputted from the CPU 21.

The input unit 24 includes, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a scanner,and the like, and desired designation information and the like can beinputted therefrom. The input unit 24 is used, for example, for updateprocessing on various data stored in the storage unit 26.

The printing unit 25 prints out print data outputted from the CPU 21, asan output section.

Programs, data and the like are stored in the storage unit 26 inadvance. The storage unit 26 includes a recording medium 26A, which is amagnetic or magneto-optical recording medium, a semiconductor memory orthe like, which is readable by the CPU 21. The recording medium 26Aincludes a portable medium such as a CD-ROM, a memory card or the like,and a fixed medium such as a hard disk. Part of or all of the programs,data and the like stored in the storage unit 26 may be received from thecommunication control unit 27 from a server or the like through anetwork such as a WAN or a LAN. The recording medium 26A may be arecording medium of an external server constituted on a network.

Moreover, in the storage unit 26, there are stored a system program ofthe present invention, a relational database management system (RDBMS)(not shown), various application software such as a graphics-processingprogram for creating charts, various programs in which operations of thepresent invention are programmed, various databases, data processed bythe processing programs, and the like.

The various databases stored in the storage unit 26 include anapplication DB 261, a stock price DB 262, a registration DB 263, and thelike. These databases are, for example, a relational database or thelike, and are related to each other by a brand name, a code, or thelike. The CPU 21 controls information search processing on thesedatabases and information acquisition processing in accordance with theRDBS.

The application DB 261 is a database to store various application soft,programs and the like, which are necessary for executing operations ofthe present invention. More specifically, there are stored, for example,the RDBMS (not shown), technical chart creation program, main programand the like, as well as a brand information supply program 261 a, abrand information search program 261 b, an evaluation judgment program261 c, an evaluation judgment reference table 261 d, a registrationbrand information distribution program 261 e, a buy-turn/sell-turninformation distribution processing program 261 f, and the like, asshown in FIG. 3.

The CPU 21 reads a program appropriate for processing to be executed foreach processing, develops the program in the RAM 22, and executes eachprocessing in accordance with the program.

The brand information supply program 261 a is a program in which thereare programmed a series of operations of supplying to a user terminal 3brand information required by the user.

The brand information search program 261 b is a program for searchingfor brand(s) relevant to arbitrary criteria designated by a user. Forexample, search criteria for searching for arbitrary brand(s) include: astock type such as a name of a stock market (for example, the TSE, theOSE, the NSE, and the like); a buy-timing/sell-timing; a price bracket;a peak price/bottom price zone; a high price/low price zone; a scale;and the like, and search criteria for searching for predetermined brandsinclude a brand name, a code number, and the like.

The evaluation judgment program 261 c is a program for performingjudgment and classification concerning stock price information for eachbrand by comparing up-to-date stock price information transmitted fromstock exchange server(s) 4 with data in the evaluation judgmentreference table 261 d. More concretely, for example, the evaluationjudgment program 261 c is used for processing of judging whether acertain brand is in a good time to buy or sell based on up-to-date stockprice numeric data, technical charts such as a key-shaped tendency chartand a candlestick-shaped tendency chart, and the like, and performsclassification processing for all brands to classify the up-to-datestock prices into the peak price zone, high price zone, bottom pricezone, low price zone, or the like. Based on the evaluation judgmentprogram 261 c, promising brand information, which is information onbrand(s) in a good time to buy or sell, is created.

The evaluation judgment program is not limited to the above. Forexample, the program may be one in which there is programmed anarbitrary stock trading analysis method proposed by an expert or thelike such as securities analysts.

The evaluation judgment reference table 261 d is reference data forperforming evaluation on each brand in accordance with theabove-mentioned evaluation judgment program 261 c. For example, theevaluation judgment reference table is predetermined criteria data forjudging which brand is good to buy or sell based on a pattern of shapeof a key-shaped tendency chart, and the like.

It goes without saying that the criteria data in the evaluation judgmentreference table 261 d varies according to the stock trading analysismethod.

The brand information distribution program 261 e is a program fordistributing to a user terminal 3 information on brand(s) relevant tocriteria pre-registered by the user. Here, the pre-registered criteriaare, for example, a name of a stock market, a price bracket, a scale, apeak price/bottom price zone, a high price/low price zone, abuy-timing/sell-timing, and the like.

The distribution processing is performed every time the stock price datais updated, for example. In a case where a user has registered apredetermined brand as a target brand based on the program 261 e,processing of periodically distributing stock price information on theregistered target brand or distributing information when target brandhas satisfied a predetermined condition can be executed.

The buy-turn/sell-turn information distribution processing program 261 fperforms processing of drawing a trend line based on thecandlestick-shaped tendency chart of a brand designated by a user tojudge whether the brand is in a sell-turn or buy-turn, and transmittingthe result to the user terminal 3.

The stock price DB 262 is a database to store stock price datatransmitted from the stock exchange servers 4. In the stock price DB262, there are stored, for example, old and up-to-date stock pricenumeric data 262 a, stock price chart data 262 b, stock price evaluationclassification data 262 c, company information 262 d, and the like, andthe data are related to each other for each brand.

Here, the stock price numeric data 262 a is stock price data on eachbrand distributed from the stock exchange servers 4. Technical chartsare created based on accumulated stock price data and up-to-date stockprice data in the stock price numeric data 262 a, and brands areevaluated and classified. The stock price chart data 262 b includestechnical charts that are diagrams showing changes in the stock price ofeach brand. There are four types of technical charts, namely, akey-shaped tendency chart and a candlestick-shaped tendency chartincluding a daily tendency chart, a weekly tendency chart and a monthlytendency chart. The data thereof is updated in accordance with update ofthe stock price numeric data.

Here, the key-shaped technical chart is, for example, a diagram as shownin FIG. 11, in which negative and positive bar lines are drawn based ona predetermined reference fluctuation range of a stock price. No barline is drawn when the stock price is fluctuated within thepredetermined range, a positive bar line (white bar line) is drawn whenthe stock price is increased by or more than the reference fluctuationrange, and a negative bar line (black bar line) is drawn when the stockprice is decreased by or more than the reference fluctuation range. Asan alternative to the reference fluctuation range, a fluctuation rate(up-down rate) may be used. When the key-shaped tendency chart thuscreated satisfies a certain condition based on the evaluation judgmentreference table 261 d, a buy signal, a sell signal and the like aregenerated and displayed on the key-shaped tendency chart.

Examples of the candlestick-shaped tendency chart as a technical chartare diagrams as shown in FIGS. 12 to 16. To draw a bar line called abody from the position of an opening price to the position of a closingprice of a stock, a positive bar line is drawn when the closing price ishigher than the opening price, and a negative bar line is drawn when theclosing price is lower than the opening price. For price movement in acontinuous session, price movement outside the range from the openingprice to the closing price is expressed by a solid line called a“shadow” or a “whisker”. From the candlestick-shaped tendency chart,there can be read, for example, that the market is a bear market whennegative bar lines continue, and that the market is a bull market whenpositive bar lines continue.

The stock price evaluation classification data 262 c include: evaluationdata such as a buy-timing and a sell-timing evaluated in accordance withthe evaluation judgment program 261 c; and classification data such as aprice bracket, a scale, and a peak price zone, and these data areupdated in accordance with update of the stock price numeric data.Moreover, processing of searching for arbitrary brands is performedbased on the stock price evaluation classification data 262 c.

The registration DB 263 is a database to store registration informationof registered users to whom stock information is distributed. Morespecifically, there are stored data on such as registration personalinformation 263 a, registration target brand information 263 b, andregistration criteria information 263 c.

The registration personal information 263 a is personal information dataon users who have registered as clients to the stock trading supportapparatus 2 to receive services such as a stock price browser serviceand an information distribution service. The registration personalinformation 263 a include, for example, contact information on theclients, registration number data, password data, and the like.

The registration target brand information 263 b is information on targetbrands designated by the registered users. The registration target brandinformation 263 b is set, for example, such that stock price informationon the registered target brand(s) is promptly supplied upon accessingfrom the user to the stock trading support apparatus 2.

The registration criteria information 263 c is arbitrary search criteriadata on brands, which is designated and registered by the users. Thestock trading support apparatus 2 searches for relevant brandinformation based on the registration criteria information, anddistributes the retrieved brand information to the user terminal 3 of aregistered user.

The communication control unit 27 is a modem, a terminal adopter, arouter or the like, and performs control for communication with anexternal device through a communication line such as a telephone line,an ISDN line, or a dedicated line.

Each of the user terminals 3 is a terminal device of a customer, whichreceives stock information by accessing the stock trading supportapparatus 2, and is a general-purpose personal computer, a PDA, a mobilephone, a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), or the like. As shown in FIG.2(b), a user terminal 3 includes a CPU 31, a RAM 32, a display unit 33,an input unit 34, a printing unit 35, a storage unit 36, and acommunication control unit 37, and these units are connected through abus 38.

Each of the above units constituting a user terminal 3 performs asimilar function to that of the corresponding unit of the stock tradingsupport apparatus 2, and thus detail descriptions thereof are omitted.

Among them, as a communication section, the CPU 31 transmits searchinformation inputted through the input unit 34, to the stock tradingsupport apparatus 2 through the communication control unit 37, receivesstock information containing promising brand information transmittedfrom the stock trading support apparatus 2, and displays the informationon the display unit 33. The input unit 34 is used as an input sectionfor setting and inputting search criteria data as desired.

The display unit 33 and the printing unit 35 perform output processingin which various images are displayed and printed, in accordance withcontrol by the CPU 31, as output sections.

Each of the stock exchange servers 4 is a server provided in a marketwhere securities such as stocks are traded, which transmits stock priceinformation to the stock trading support apparatus 2. The stock exchangeservers 4 and the stock information supply apparatus 2 are connected vianetworks 5 such as a dedicated line.

Next, an operation of the present embodiment in the stock informationsupply system 1 configured as described above will be explained.

First, registration processing in which a user registers to the stocktrading support apparatus 2 as a client will be explained with referenceto the flow chart in FIG. 4.

A user terminal 3 is connected to the stock trading support apparatus 2through a network 5 when a predetermined URL or the like is inputted bythe operator of the user terminal 3 (Step S101).

Subsequently, the CPU 21 of the stock trading support apparatus 2 readsfirst menu screen data from the storage unit 26, and transmits the datathrough the communication control unit 27 to the user terminal 3 thathas accessed the stock trading support apparatus 2 (Step S102).

Then, through the communication control unit 37, the CPU 31 of the userterminal 3 receives the first menu screen data transmitted from thestock trading support apparatus 2, temporarily stores the data in theRAM 32, and displays the first menu screen (not shown) on the displayunit 33 (Step S103).

Various menu items for stock information supply are displayed on thisfirst menu screen (not shown). The operator of the user terminal 3selects a “registration menu” (not shown) using the input unit 34, andthe data is transmitted to the stock trading support apparatus 2 (StepS104).

Subsequently, based on the selection signal of the “registration menu”transmitted from the user terminal 3, the CPU 21 of the stock tradingsupport apparatus 2 reads registration screen data from the storage unit26, and transmits the registration screen data to the user terminal 3(Step S105).

Then, the CPU 31 of the user terminal 3 displays the registration screen(not shown) on the display unit 33, based on the registration screendata transmitted from the stock trading support apparatus 2 (Step S106).

When processing of inputting registration data is performed by theoperator of the user terminal 3 through the input unit 34, the CPU 31transmits the inputted registration data to the stock trading supportapparatus 2 (Step S107).

Here, the inputted registration data is personal information on theuser, target brand(s), registration criteria, and the like. The personalinformation is data on such as contact information of the user, aregistration number, and a password. The information on the targetbrand(s) is names, codes and the like of the brands which the user isparticularly interested in. Stock price information on the brandsregistered as target brands can be displayed immediately, withoutperforming search processing one by one. The registration criteria iscriteria information on brands of which stock price information isrequired by the user to be transmitted from the stock trading supportapparatus 2, namely, a name of a trading market, a buy-timing orsell-timing, a price bracket, and the like. Brand information relevantto the registration criteria is retrieved by the stock trading supportapparatus 2 as appropriate, and transmitted to the user terminal 3.Brand information distribution processing thus performed will bedescribed in detail later.

Subsequently, the CPU 21 of the stock trading support apparatus 2receives the above-mentioned registration data from the user terminal 3,creates registration content confirmation screen data based on thecontent of the registration, and transmits the data to the user terminal3 (Step S108).

Then, the CPU 31 of the user terminal 3 temporarily stores theregistration content confirmation screen data in the RAM 32 transmittedfrom the stock trading support apparatus 2, and displays a registrationcontent confirmation screen (not shown) on the display unit 33 (StepS109). Here, in the registration content confirmation screen,registration content information which is designated and inputted by theuser in Step S107 is contained.

The operator of the user terminal 3 checks the registration contentconfirmation screen on the display unit 33 (Step S110), and, when theoperator wants to finish the registration (Step S110: Yes), for example,the operator designates a “registration button” (not shown) or the like,and the data is transmitted to the stock trading support apparatus 2.

Meanwhile, when the operator wants to change the registration content(Step S110: No), the process returns to Step S106. To cancelregistration, the operator of the user terminal 3 finishes theregistration by designating a cancel button (not shown) or the like.

Subsequently, in Step S111, when the CPU 21 of the stock trading supportapparatus 2 has received a registration O.K. signal from the userterminal 3, the CPU 21 stores the transmitted registration data in theregistration DB 263 of the storage unit 26 for registration processing,and thus the processing is finished.

Next, stock information search processing performed between the stocktrading support apparatus 2 and the user terminal 3 operated by the userregistered as a client will be explained with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 5.

First, the operator of the user terminal 3 performs connectionprocessing to the stock trading support apparatus 2 as in Step S101 inFIG. 4 by a predetermined operation, and inputs the registration numberor the password set in the registration processing. The CPU 31 of theuser terminal 3 transmits the inputted data to the stock trading supportapparatus 2. The stock trading support apparatus 2 performsauthentication processing of the registration number or the passwordtransmitted from the user terminal 3 (Step S201).

When the above authentication processing is successful, the stocktrading support apparatus 2 reads the brand information supply program261 a from the application DB 261 of the storage unit 26, develops theprogram in the RAM 22, and performs the following operation inaccordance with the brand information supply program 261 a.

First, the CPU 21 of the stock trading support apparatus 2 transmitsmenu screen data for members to the user terminal 3. The menu screen formembers (not shown) is displayed on the display unit 33 by control ofthe CPU 31 of the user terminal 3 (Step S202).

In the menu screen for members (not shown), there are various menusavailable to the members. A “search menu” (not shown) is selected by theoperator of the user terminal 3, and the data is transmitted to thestock trading support apparatus 2 (Step S203).

The CPU 21 of the stock trading support apparatus 2 receives theselection signal of the “search menu” from the user terminal 3, readssearch screen data from the storage unit 26, and transmits the searchscreen data to the user terminal 3 (Step S204).

Then, the CPU 31 of the user terminal 3 displays a search screen G1 asshown in FIG. 8, on the display unit 33 (Step S205).

A search criteria selection part 1000 for searching for brandinformation required by the user is provided in the search screen G1shown in the drawing. The search criteria selection part 1000 includes,as criteria items, a stock type 1001, a buy-timing/sell-timing 1002, aprice bracket 1003, a peak price/bottom price zone 1004, a highprice/low price zone 1005, and a scale 1006.

Options are provided for each of the above criteria items, as shown in abrand search screen (G2) in FIG. 9.

For example, the “stock type” 1001 is an item for selecting a type ofstock(s) to be searched for. Examples of the options thereof include“all brands” 1001 a, “target brand” 1001 b which is pre-registered bythe user, “bellwether” 1001 c for displaying a bellwether stock, “TSE(Tokyo Stock Exchange) first section” 1001 d, “TSE second section” 1001e, “OSE (Osaka Securities Exchange) first section” 1001 f, “OSE secondsection” 1001 g, “NSE (Nagoya Stock Exchange) first section” 1001 h,“NSE second section” 1001 i, “over-the-counter” 1001 j, “Mothers” 1001k, “NASDAQ J (Japan)” 1001 l, “foreign section” 1001 m, “Nikkei 225”1001 n, and the like.

The “buy-timing/sell-timing” 1002 is an item for searching for promisingbrand(s) which have been judged by the stock trading support apparatus 2as in a good time to buy or sell. Predetermined unit periods are set tothe buy-timings and sell-timings. “Buy, today” 1002 a specifies brand(s)which are good to buy today, “buy, this week” 1002 b specifies brand(s)which are good to buy this week, and the unit periods last week, 1month, and the like are applied likewise. More specifically, thebuy-timings and sell-timings include: the “buy, today” 1002 a; “sell,today” 1002 b; the “buy, this week” 1002 c; “sell, this week” 1002 d;“buy, last week” 1002 e; “sell, last week” 1002 f; “buy, 1 month” 1002g; “sell, 1 month” 1002 h; “buy, 2 months” 1002 i; “sell, 2 months” 1002j; “buy, 3 months” 1002 k; “sell, 3 months” 1002 l; “buy, 4 months” 1002m; “sell, 4 months” 1002 n; “buy, 5 months” 1002 o; “sell, 5 months”1002 p; “buy, 6 months” 1002 q; “sell, 6 months” 1002 r; “buy, 1 year”1002 s; “sell, 1 year” 1002 t; “buy, after 1 year” 1002 u; “sell, after1 year” 1002 v; and the like.

The “price bracket” 1003 is an item for specifying a price bracket of asingle stock of a brand. More specifically, there are included “0(inclusive)-(less than) 50 yen ” 1003 a, “50 (inclusive)-(less than) 100yen ” 1003 b, “100-200 yen” 1003 c, “200-300 yen” 1003 d, “300-400 yen”1003 e, “400-500 yen” 1003 f, “500-1000 yen” 1003 g, “1000-2000 yen”1003 h, “2000-5000 yen” 1003 i, “5000-10000 yen” 1003 j, “10000 yen ormore” 1003 k, and the like.

The “peak price/bottom price zone” 1004 is an item for searching forbrand(s) having a stock price in a peak price zone or a bottom pricezone. More specifically, there are options including “peak price zonebrand” 1004 a and “bottom price zone brand” 1004 b.

The “high price/low price zone” 1005 is an item for searching forbrand(s) having a stock price in a high price zone or a low price zone.For example, there are included: “high price, next day” 1005 a, whichindicates a next day of a day when the stock price of a brand hasreached a high price in a certain period; “low price, next day” 1005 b,which indicates a next day of a day when the stock price of a brand hasreached a low price in a certain period; and “high price, 1 week” 1005c, which indicates one week after the stock price of a brand has reacheda high price. Likewise, the options also include “low price, 1 week”1005 d, “high price, 2 weeks” 1005 e, “low price, 2 weeks” 1005 f, “highprice, 1 month” 1005 g, “low price, 1 month” 1005 h, “high price, 3months” 1005 i, “low price, 3 months” 1005 j, “high price, 6 months”1005 k, “low price, 6 months” 1005 l, “high price, 1 year” 1005 m, “lowprice, 1 year” 1005 n, “high price, 2 years” 1005 o, “low price, 2years” 1005 p, and the like.

The “scale” 1006 is an item concerning scales of stocks, and examples ofthe options thereof include “large capitalization stock” 1006 a, “mediumcapitalization stock” 1006 b, “small capitalization stock” 1006 c, andthe like.

With the search criteria selection part 1000 thus provided, search canbe limited by selecting necessary criteria items. Search criteria datais transmitted to the stock trading support apparatus 2 when a “search”button 1007 is designated by clicking or the like, and thus limit searchcan be requested.

In the search screen G1, a search result part 2000 is provided under thesearch criteria selection part 1000. On the search screen G1 thusarranged, the operator of a user terminal 3 inputs search criteria usingthe input unit 34, and performs transmission processing (Step S206).

More specifically, the user selects desired criteria items among thosein the search criteria selection part 1000 by using the input unit 34,and designates the “search” button 1007. The search criteria data isthen transmitted to the stock trading support apparatus 2 though the CPU31 of the user terminal 3.

Here, it is assumed, for example, that the criteria specified at theuser terminal 3 are: the “TSE first section” 1001 c for the “stock type”1001; the “buy, last week” 1002 e for the “buy-timing/sell-timing” 1002;the “500-1000 yen” 1003 g for the “price bracket” 1003; and the “bottomprice zone brand” 1004 b for the “peak price/bottom price zone” 1004.

Then, the CPU 21 of the stock trading support apparatus 2 reads thebrand information search program 261 b to develop the program in the RAM22, and retrieves brand information (promising brand information)satisfying the search criteria designated by the user (Step S207) bysearching the stock price DB 262 in accordance with the program 261 b.

Various information on brand(s) satisfying the criteria is read from thestock price DB 262, and the search result screen data is created to betransmitted to the user terminal 3 (Step S208).

Then, a search result screen G3 as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on thedisplay unit 33 by control of the CPU 31 of the user terminal 3.

As shown in FIG. 10, a list of brands satisfying the search criteria isdisplayed in the search result part 2000. In addition, in the searchresult part 2000, included as items for displaying the brand information(promising brand information) of the search result are: target 2001;code 2002; market 2003; company name 2004; buy/sell 2005; appearancedate 2006; appearance date closing price 2007; closing price 2008; andthe like.

The target 2001 is an item for showing whether the brand is registeredas a target brand by the user. If the brand is a target brand, a circleis displayed therein. The code 2002 is an ID number of the brand used inthe stock market, the market 2003 is the name of a trading market of thebrand, and the company name 2004 is a company name of the target brand.The buy/sell 2005 shows whether the brand is in a good time to buy orsell, the appearance date 2006 is a date when a buy signal or sellsignal has appeared, the appearance date closing price 2007 is a closingprice on the day when the above signal has appeared for the brand, andthe closing price 2008 is an up-to-date closing price from the day whenthe search is performed.

When the user double-clicks, for example, one of the codes or companynames, to select a brand from those in the search result displayed inthe search result part 2000, chart screens G4 to G7 are displayed asshown in FIGS. 11 to 14. The chart screens can display four types ofcharts, namely, a key-shaped tendency chart (FIG. 11: G4) andcandlestick-shaped tendency charts including a daily tendency chart(FIG. 12: G5), a weekly tendency chart (FIG. 13: G6) and a monthlytendency chart (FIG. 14: G7), which are technical charts as stock priceanalysis information on the brand. In each of the chart screens G4 toG7, there is a brand information part 4000 above a chart display part3000, to display information on the brand for which the chart iscreated.

With regard to the chart displayed on the chart display part 3000,charts for the last five years can be displayed by designating an arrowbutton 3001 or 3002.

Moreover, through a chart selection part 3003, it is possible to specifywhich chart among the key-shaped tendency chart, daily tendency chart,weekly tendency chart and monthly tendency chart of thecandlestick-shaped tendency chart is displayed on the chart display part3000.

In addition, the size of the chart can be enlarged and reduced bydesignating a zoom-in button and zoom-out button 3004 and 3005,respectively.

Moreover, by clicking a mouse or the like, which is the input unit 34 ofthe operator of a user terminal 3, a trend line necessary for brandselection can be drawn on the chart. Furthermore, when the mouse ispositioned at an arbitrary part of the key-shaped tendency chart or thecandlestick-shaped tendency chart, the date and the stock price aredisplayed immediately.

Moreover, when a company information button 3006 is designated, companyinformation on the brand is displayed. Ways for displaying the companyinformation may be to link to the homepage of the company, or to displayup-to-date information on the final accounts of the company stored inthe storage unit 26.

After browsing the stock information such as the search result screenG3, the chart screen G4 and the like as described above, when the userwants to register the search result brands as target brands, orregisters the search criteria as registration criteria (Step S210: Yes),by designating a “registration button” 2009, the registration contentdata is transmitted to the stock trading support apparatus 2 by the CPU31, and registration processing is performed by the stock tradingsupport apparatus 2 (Step S211).

In contrast, when the user does not register the data (Step S210: No),the process moves to Step S212.

Here, in the registration processing, for example, it is possible toregister the target brands by designating the “save target” button 2009in the search result screen G3 in FIG. 10. When the target brands areregistered, information on the registered brand is distributed to theuser terminal 3 by the stock trading support apparatus 2. Similarly,when arbitrary criteria for brand search are registered, brandinformation satisfying the criteria is distributed to the user terminal3 by the stock trading support apparatus 2.

In Step S212, the operator of the user terminal 3 selects whether tofinish the search or not. When the operator has chosen to finish thesearch (Step S212: Yes) the processing is completed, and when theoperator has chosen not to finish (Step S212: No), the process returnsto Step S205.

According to the search processing in Steps S201 to S212, users caneasily search for information on brand(s) which are in a good time tobuy or sell, without analyzing difficult technical charts or variousfactors concerning stock price movement, which is very convenient forthe users. Moreover, since key-shaped and candlestick-shaped tendencycharts as well as company information and the like are supplied to theusers, the users can judge and check the timing to buy or sell stocks ofthe brands from various points of view, which is convenient for theusers.

Next, with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 6, a description will begiven of processing of distributing information on brand(s) satisfyingcriteria pre-registered by users.

First, when up-to-date stock price information is distributed from thestock exchange server(s) 4, the stock trading support apparatus 2 storesthe up-to-date stock price information in the stock price DB 262, andperforms processing of updating stock price data, updating charts and ofevaluating brands based on the up-to-date stock price information, tocreate stock information (Step S301).

Here, it is assumed that the up-to-date stock price information isdistributed from the stock exchange servers 4 at least once per day.

The stock trading support apparatus 2 updates stock price information tobe supplied to user terminal(s) 3 in accordance with the evaluationjudgment program 261 c, and performs processing of creating up-to-datetechnical charts. Moreover, based on the up-to-date stock priceinformation and the evaluation judgment reference table 261 d, the stocktrading support apparatus 2 re-performs processing of judging whetherthe brands are in a good time to buy or sell, and classifying the brandsinto criteria such as peak price/bottom price zone and high price/lowprice zone, to create stock information. The stock information is storedin the stock price DB 262.

Subsequently, the CPU 21 of the stock trading support apparatus 2performs the following information distribution processing in accordancewith the registration information distribution program 261 e.

That is, the CPU 21 of the stock trading support apparatus 2 searchesthe stock price DB 262 (Step S302), performs processing of updatingstock price information and then processing of judging whether there isinformation on brand(s) satisfying the criteria registered by users, anddistributes relevant brand information (promising brand information) tothe user terminal(s) 3 of users who have registered the brand(s), tonotify the users (Step S303). Here, ways for distribution to the userterminals 3 are, for example, e-mailing and the like, and, when a userterminal 3 is a mobile communication terminal such as a PDA and a mobilephone, immediacy is increased.

Moreover, the CPU 21 of the stock trading support apparatus 2 createsup-to-date stock price information on target brands registered throughuser terminals 3, and transmits the information to the user terminals 3(Step S304).

The above processing of distributing brand information to user terminals3 may be performed any number of times.

In this way, information on brand(s) satisfying criteria registered bythe users is distributed when the stock price information is updated,and therefore, the percentage of stock trading at an optimal timing isdramatically increased.

Next, with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 7, a description will begiven of processing of distributing buy-turn/sell-turn informationperformed between the stock trading support apparatus 2 and the userterminals 3 operated by users registered as clients.

First, the communication control unit 37 of a user terminal 3 receivesbrand information (promising brand information) transmitted in Step S207in FIG. 5 (Step S401), and the CPU31 displays the received brandinformation on the display unit 33.

Subsequently, when the user of the user terminal 3 specifies desiredbrand(s) among those in the displayed brand information and gives abuy-turn/sell-turn information request command (Step S402), the CPU 31transmits the specified brand information and the buy-turn/sell-turninformation request information to the stock trading support apparatus2.

The communication control unit 27 of the stock trading support apparatus2 receives the specified brand information and the buy-turn/sell-turninformation request information (Step S403) from the user terminal 3.

The CPU 21 of the stock trading support apparatus 2 executes thebuy-turn/sell-turn information distribution program 261 f, to draw anupward trend line or a downward trend line for the specified brand(s)(Step S404).

The upward trend line is a line which connects, for example, the lowestopening price among positive bar lines with the opening price of apositive bar line of a candlestick in a weekly candlestick-shapedtendency chart so as to have the smallest ascending angle. In otherwords, for example, as shown in a weekly tendency chart (G8) in FIG. 15,an upward trend line 5000 connecting an opening price 5001 of thepositive bar line of the candlestick for the second week of February2002 with an opening price 5002 of the positive bar line of thecandlestick for the second week of May 2002 is drawn.

In contrast, the downward trend line is a line which connects, forexample, the highest opening price among negative bar lines with theopening price of a negative bar line of a candlestick in a weeklycandlestick-shaped tendency chart so as to have the smallest descendingangle. In other words, for example, as shown in a weekly tendency chart(G9) in FIG. 16, a downward trend line 6000 connecting an opening price6001 of the negative bar line of the candlestick for the second week ofJune 2001 with an opening price 6002 of the negative bar line of thecandlestick for the fourth week of January 2002 is drawn.

Thereafter, based on the upward trend line or the downward trend linedrawn in Step S404, and on the data of the negative bar line or thepositive bar line of the candlestick with a buy signal or a sell signal,the CPU 21 judges whether the brand is in a buy-turn or a sell-turn(Step S405).

More specifically, when a negative bar line of a candlestick with a sellsignal is below the upward trend line, the CPU 21 judges that the brandis in a sell-turn. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, when a sell signalis shown in the fourth week of July 2002, the negative bar line of thecandlestick is below the upward trend line, and the CPU 21 thereforejudges that the brand is in a sell-turn.

When a candlestick with a buy signal is above a downward trend line, theCPU 21 judges that the brand is in a buy-turn. For example, as shown inFIG. 16, when a buy signal is shown in the third week of February 2002,the positive bar line of the candlestick is above the downward trendline, and the CPU 21 therefore judges that the brand is in a buy-turn.

Thereafter, the CPU 21 creates sell-turn or buy-turn information whichis the result of the judgment in Step S405 (Step S406), and transmitsthe information to the user terminal 3 through the communication controlunit 27 (Step S407).

The communication control unit 37 of the user terminal 3 receives thesell-turn or buy-turn information (Step S408), and the CPU 31 displaysthe received sell-turn or buy-turn information on the display unit 33(Step S409), thus completing the processing.

In this way, judgment is automatically performed on whether promisingbrand(s) are in a sell-turn or a buy-turn or not, and thebuy-turn/sell-turn information is notified to the user terminal.Therefore, even a user who is not accustomed to stock trading can easilyrecognize a sell-turn.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to theembodiment described above, and it should be understood that variouschanges and modifications can be made therein.

For example, the stock trading support apparatus 2 may be of astand-alone type provided in a securities company or the like, withoutconnection to a communication line, to supply stock information only tocustomers who come to the company.

Moreover, in addition to supplying stock information, the stock tradingsupport apparatus may be capable of executing actual stock tradingprocessing. Alternatively, the stock trading support apparatus 2 may beconnectable to the online trade server or the like of a securitiescompany, to allow a user terminal 3 to be connected to the online tradeserver when a stock trading request command on an arbitrary brand istransmitted from the user terminal 3. This is useful in terms of thatthe distributed stock price information is more directly linked to theactual stock trading.

Further, for example, the criteria items for searching for brands arenot limited to those described above, as long as the items includeevaluation items such as evaluation for buying and selling. In addition,the above-described judgment processing on judging whether the brand isin a good time to buy or sell is performed based on a key-shapedtendency chart; however, the processing is not limited thereto.

Furthermore, the stock information to be supplied to users is notlimited to the above. For example, the charts are not limited to thekey-shaped tendency chart and the candlestick-shaped tendency chart.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is applicable not only to a securities industrywhich handles stock trading, but to an information services industry, aninformation system industry, and the like.

1. A stock trading support apparatus to support stock trading,comprising: a stock price analysis information creating section tocreate stock price analysis information by analyzing a stock price ofeach brand based on stock price information; a promising brandinformation creating section to create promising brand information byjudging whether the each brand is in a good time to buy or sell based onthe stock price analysis information created by the stock price analysisinformation creating section; and an output section to output stockinformation containing the stock price analysis information and thepromising brand information.
 2. The stock trading support apparatus asclaimed in claim 1, which is connectable to a user terminal through acommunication network, and further comprises a stock informationtransmitting section to transmit the stock information to the userterminal device.
 3. The stock trading support apparatus as claimed inclaim 2, further comprising: a receiving section to receive from theuser terminal a search criterion for searching for promising brandinformation; a promising brand information search section to search forpromising brand information relevant to the search criterion received bythe receiving section; and a transmitting section to transmit to theuser terminal the promising brand information retrieved by the promisingbrand information search section.
 4. The stock trading support apparatusas claimed in claim 3, wherein the search criterion includes at leastone of a stock type, a buy-timing or a sell-timing of a brand, a pricebracket, a peak price zone or a bottom price zone of a stock price, ahigh price zone or a low price zone of a stock price, and a scale. 5.The stock trading support apparatus as claimed in claim 2, furthercomprising: a registration section to register a search criterion forsearching for promising brand information, which is transmitted from theuser terminal; a search section to periodically search whether there ispromising brand information relevant to the search criterion registeredby the registration section; and a notifying section to notify, whenpromising brand information relevant to the search criterion isretrieved by the search section, the retrieved promising brandinformation to the user terminal.
 6. The stock trading support apparatusas claimed in claim 1, wherein the stock price analysis informationincludes a key-shaped tendency chart.
 7. The stock trading supportapparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the stockprice analysis information includes a candlestick-shaped tendency chart,the apparatus further comprising: a line-drawing section to draw adownward trend line based on the candlestick-shaped tendency chart of abrand judged to be in a good time to buy, among brands in the promisingbrand information created by the promising brand information creatingsection; a judging section to judge whether the brand is in a buy-turn,based on the downward trend line drawn by the line-drawing section andon candlestick-shaped tendency chart data at the good time to buy thebrand judged to be in the good time to buy; and a buy-turn informationnotifying section to notify the user terminal of a judgment result givenby the judging section, as buy-turn information.
 8. The stock tradingsupport apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein thestock price analysis information includes a candlestick-shaped tendencychart, the apparatus further comprising: a line-drawing section to drawa upward trend line based on the candlestick-shaped tendency chart of abrand judged to be in a good time to sell, among brands in the promisingbrand information created by the promising brand information creatingsection; a judging section to judge whether the brand is in a sell-turn,based on the upward trend line drawn by the line-drawing section and oncandlestick-shaped tendency chart data at the good time to sell thebrand judged to be in the good time to sell; and a sell-turn informationnotifying section to notify the user terminal of a judgment result givenby the judging section, as sell-turn information.
 9. A stock tradingsupport system where a stock trading support apparatus to support stocktrading is connected to a user terminal through a communication network,wherein the stock trading support apparatus comprises: a stock priceanalysis information creating section to create stock price analysisinformation by analyzing a stock price of each brand based on stockprice information; a promising brand information creating section tocreate promising brand information by judging whether the each brand isin a good time to buy or sell based on the stock price analysisinformation created by the stock price analysis information creatingsection; a receiving section to receive from the user terminal a searchcriterion for searching for promising brand information; a promisingbrand information search section to search for promising brandinformation relevant to the search criterion received by the receivingsection; and a transmitting section to transmit to the user terminal thepromising brand information retrieved by the promising brand informationsearch section, and the user terminal comprises: an input section toinput the search criterion; a communication section to transmit, to thestock trading support apparatus, the search criterion inputted throughthe input section, and receive the promising brand informationtransmitted by the transmitting section; and an output section to outputthe promising brand information received by the communication section.